Partner Project
The Pantropical Nereididae (Partner) project is an international collaborative project to document and describe the diversity of nereidid polychaete worms of tropical seas. Nereidids are a diverse and abundant group of marine invertebrates and a key component of the benthic ecosystem, being an important food source of shore birds, fishes and prawns. Nereidids belong to the benthic fouling community of ports and harbours, which makes them candidates for widespread translocation by shipping activity. Outcomes of the Partner project will include clarification of valid names, a better knowledge of species diversity, distribution and habitat, and improved access to biological information on each species. Ultimately this information will enable more effective management of the benthic ecosystem of tropical coastal regions in Australia and elsewhere.
Overall management of the Partner project is by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Heritage, who also helped to start the project. The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) provide day-to-day management and Dr Chris Glasby (Natural Sciences, MAGNT) is the project leader. Seed funding for the Partner has been provided by the US Geological Survey.
